PrepTest 135, Section 1, Question 6
Evan: I am a vegetarian because I believe(65 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(15 more words not shown)
- AI do not(45 more words not shown)
- BIt is uncertain(32 more words not shown)
- CI am opposed(41 more words not shown)
- DUpdating our computer(44 more words not shown)
- EIsabel Allende lived(46 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Not knowing that an animal feels pain isn't the same as knowing that it doesn't.
Evan's reason for avoiding meat is moral: he doesn't want to inflict needless suffering. Some other vegetarians share that concern but eat certain sea creatures because we don't know whether those creatures feel pain. Evan thinks the uncertainty should push them the other way. If the animals might suffer, avoid eating them rather than risk doing the thing you believe is wrong.
What we’re looking for
We're looking for another application of that cautious approach. There should be uncertainty about whether an action would violate a responsibility, followed by a choice intended to avoid that possible violation. Merely mentioning uncertainty won't be enough; what does the person do in response?
Working the answers
- ACorrect
Neither person remembers whether the loan was repaid. Instead of treating that uncertainty as permission to keep the money, the borrower pays now to make sure the debt is covered. That matches Evan's approach: act cautiously so that uncertainty doesn't leave you doing something you ought to avoid.
A doesn't explicitly announce that failing to repay a loan would be wrong. That part of the concern is implicit in the borrower's effort to make sure Farah has been repaid. Still, the uncertainty and the protective action fit, while the other answers lack that combination.
- B
This predicts that some recalled vehicles haven't been returned. It doesn't recommend taking a precaution to make sure an obligation is met. Uncertainty appears in both arguments, but here it leads to an expectation about what happened, not a cautious course of action.
- C
The speaker opposes incentives because the businesses they would attract are expected to harm economic stability. There is no uncertainty about whether a moral responsibility has been met, followed by a precaution to avoid violating it. This is an objection based on predicted consequences.
- D
The speaker considers a possible business benefit and a way to pay for the upgrade if that benefit doesn't arrive. Having a financial fallback isn't the principle Evan uses. We aren't choosing to avoid an action because we might otherwise violate an obligation.
- E
This infers something about Allende's outlook from the character of her novels. It doesn't propose an action to guard against possibly doing wrong. Its conclusion is about what someone believes, not how to behave under moral uncertainty.
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